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Forum, July 20: Bad Day for Dartmouth Athletics; Supporting Candidates

Published: 7/19/2016 10:00:16 PM

Modified: 7/19/2016 10:00:11 PM

Sad Day for Dartmouth Athletics

I would like to provide some background from my perspective regarding the recent firing of Dartmouth College women’s lacrosse coach Amy Patton. I was at Dartmouth from 1981 until 2009, when I retired. I served my last seven years as director of athletics. I was the head coach of women’s lacrosse from 1981 to 1992. I started to transition into administration in 1990; it was then that I hired Amy as my assistant.

We worked together as coaches until 1992. At that time I went into administration full time and Amy took over as head coach for the next 24 years. I watched closely as Amy interacted with players, parents and alumnae. I have never had any reason to doubt Amy’s integrity and honesty. In fact, I have rarely seen a coach with more devotion to her players or with a higher standard for conduct for herself and for her players.

My observations are not based solely on my experience as Amy’s supervisor. I have watched countless Dartmouth women’s lacrosse practices, attended games, both home and away, attended year-end dinners, and talked and interacted with alumni, players and parents. Drawing on my 50-plus years in athletics, as a coach at all levels and as an administrator, I personally will never believe what was stated in the Dartmouth press release, that Amy Patton “engaged in conduct inconsistent with the standards of Dartmouth Athletics.” Amy has strongly denied that allegation. I do not believe it either. But one thing is undeniably true: The day Amy Patton was forced to resign from Dartmouth College as the head coach of the women’s lacrosse program was truly a sad day for the vast majority who have played and coached in this program.

JoAnn (Josie) Harper

White River Junction

Supporting McCormack

I urge the voters of Windsor County to re-elect state Sen. Richard “Dick” McCormack in the primary election. McCormack has an incredible track record, cares deeply about the people of Vermont and is highly qualified to continue his work in the Vermont Senate. He will continue to work diligently on legislative committees including Appropriations, and Health and Welfare.

He was chairman of the District 3 Environmental Commission and served on the Governor’s Commission on Forest Health prior to his appointment to the Senate in 1989. He has had involvement in numerous organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union, the Green Mountain Club, Vermont National Resources Council and much more.

Lorraine Zigman

Weathersfield

Clinton Isn’t Above the Law

The FBI’s decision to not indict Hillary Clinton for gross negligence is extremely disappointing and left me questioning whether or not it was a fair and honest process. We all know this wouldn’t have been an issue had Clinton followed the law like everybody else and used a State Department account.

Instead, in the true Clintonian way, the rules don’t apply to her. Hillary Clinton set up a system for herself to evade established rules because she didn’t want people to know what she was doing. In what other scenario could a public official get away with that, and she was holding one of the highest positions in our government. Since the Obama administration is choosing not to indict Clinton, the voters will need to make sure she never gets close to obtaining residence at the White House.

Karen M. Cervantes

Lebanon

The writer is a New Hamphsire Republican State Committee member and holds local and regional party posts.

Impressed With Dunne

In 2010, my husband and I attended a Democratic gubernatorial debate in Manchester, Vt. mong the candidates on stage was a young Matt Dunne. I remember being impressed with Dunne, his breadth of knowledge on the issues, his relaxed and sincere demeanor, and his passionate commitment to his home state.

When I learned that Dunne was once again running for governor, I visited his website and found a wealth of information. I was particularly interested in his position on health care. Personally, I believe that health care is a human right and not a privilege. I was so pleased to see that Dunne agreed with me. He is in favor of single-payer, universal health care coverage for all Vermonters.

Furthermore, with Dunne’s eight years at Google, he has the experience and technical know-how to get Vermont’s Health Connect website running smoothly and effectively. Please join me in supporting Matt Dunne for governor on Aug. 9.

Bettina Abrams

White River Junction

Clinton Supports Workers

To The Editor:

This presidential campaign is finally bringing attention to the anger, frustration and pain of those treated unfairly by our economic system. White men grieve good jobs lost to technology or cheap overseas labor. Minority workers have been shorted on access to those jobs and the education to get them. Women still do not get equal pay for equal work, or equal access to advancement.

All our low-wage workers, and much of the middle class, are suffering from a corruption of American capitalism that has resulted in stagnant wages, reduced benefits, lack of paid sick time and family leave, and use of part-time and temporary hiring strategies to avoid paying benefits. Working men and women cannot support a family on low wages, and are left vulnerable to predatory lenders. (Try living on $7.25 an hour in the Upper Valley!)

While cynical leaders divide American workers, blaming “the other” — racial minorities, women or immigrants in the workplace — all these workers suffer from the same rigged system. In earlier times, American businesses sought to benefit three groups: owners/shareholders, employees and the larger community. Today too many businesses have only one priority: short-term profits for the shareholders and CEOs. The vast majority of wealth is flowing to the top 1 percent instead of being shared fairly so that “all boats rise.”

Faced with such economic injustice, we need a president who will work for the good of ordinary people, and has specific strategies for meaningful change. Hillary Clinton is that leader. Her opponent offers only empty promises and divisive rhetoric, but Clinton will work for a substantial increase in the minimum wage and profit sharing, increased benefits, collective bargaining, affordable education and job creation. She has a long record of battling discrimination in the workplace, and supporting family needs. She will work to see that those who make the biggest profits pay their fair share of taxes. Clinton has specific plans for creating such changes, and she has the political know-how to get things done.

Diane Root

West Lebanon

Minter Is Highly Qualified

I would like to see Sue Minter as the next governor of Vermont. What a relief she would be — clear-eyed, competent, focused on the right issues, able to get the various agencies of our state to work together — all with a quiet confidence rather than political loud noise.

Minter has a professional degree in city planning from MIT, was elected four times to the Vermont House (working especially on Appropriations) and gained experience in the executive branch as head of the Vermont Agency of Transportation. She has experience in getting what Vermont needs from Washington (witness how well Vermont did under her leadership with FEMA grants after the flood).

She has issued well-thought-out proposals on education, job creation in Vermont, women’s rights, and the living wage. She is committed to conservation, having worked on a federal advisory committee as a consultant, and she wants a ban on assault rifles.

What we need is quiet competence with a good head for money and a warm heart. Vote for Sue Minter as Democratic candidate for governor in early balloting now under way, or on primary day, Aug. 9.